LAYOUT AND PACKAGING BY EMLYN MCKINNEY
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
H
ello! My name is Lea D’Angelo, and I’m the Editor-in-Chief for the ODYSSEY Media Group. This will be my fourth year on staff and second serving as an Editor-in-Chief. The ODYSSEY is a student-produced news organization that operates on a hybrid model, meaning all students produce work for our newsmagazine, website and social media. Our purpose is to inform, entertain and give voice to the Clarke Central High School and local Athens community. The program provides students with the skills to do so through rigorous training and handson teaching. Throughout their time in the program, students are given many opportunities to explore various aspects of journalism. They will have the chance to interview prominent members of the CCHS and Athens communities and write stories ranging from editorials and blogs to breaking news and product reviews, as well as exploring other journalistic forms, such as photography, broadcasting, podcasting, designing and creating multimedia elements for all platforms. All of this begins with a solid foundation, which is built in the Journalism I class, which is largely made up of freshmen stepping into the program for the first time. JI serves as an introduction to the ODYSSEY, giving students a taste of the many aspects of journalism. In the first semester, students will participate in lessons on professional communication, the law and ethics of journalism, interviewing skills and the basics of different news and opinion writing through a mix of presentations and hands-on activities led by student facilitators and BY LEA D’ANGELO Editor-in-Chief
Mr. David Ragsdale. During the second semester, students will continue to engage in a variety of storytelling forms, from sports writing to broadcast and podcasting. After completing JI, students join the Production staff, where they will work with members of their sections and respective editors to produce content for the ODYSSEY’s newsmagazine, website, YouTube and social media platforms. It is essential that students stay on top of all deadlines and assignments and communicate with their facilitators, editors and our adviser, Mr. Ragsdale, if something is preventing them from doing so. Production and JI students are expected to attend Extended Learning time each Tuesday and Thursday from 3:35 to 5:30 p.m. and attend monthly weekend workdays. Room 231 will also be open to students on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 7:30 a.m. for those with after-school scheduling conflicts. These times are not only opportunities to complete work but to bond with fellow students. Students in both the JI and Production classes will be invited to attend state, regional and national journalistic conferences. During these field trips, students will have opportunities to learn from experts in the field of journalism and bond with their classmates and other student journalists outside of the ODYSSEY. They will also participate in on-site competitions to apply the skills they’ve learned and strengthen programmatic bonds. These field trips are often a highlight of the year and a great way to bring JI and Production together! I am so excited to meet the incoming JI students and begin working with this year’s Production staff! I can’t wait to see how each of you will build a path within the program, and I am looking forward to making it a great year!
All of this begins with a solid foundation, which is built in the Journalism I class.
O
Above: OPENING DOORS: Members of the ODYSSEY Media Group Production Staff, Journalism I class and iliad Literary-Art Magazine pose at the Georgia Scholastic Press Association’s Spring Workshop and Awards at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education on March 18. News Staffer Jack Rumfelt found the conference, one of his first, to be eye-opening. “I thought that GSPA was a good introduction to the journalism world,” Rumfelt said. “I learned about photography, social media and writing in general, which I feel like opened my mind to more possibilities in journalism.” Photo by Grady Dunston
odysseynewsmagazine.net
1